The scene shifts back to when they were trapped in the water filtration room by snakes and the Hydra cypress. After Li Cu and Su Wan were dragged away, Hei Xiao decisively took action, and the situation was extremely chaotic. At that moment, he told Yang Hao and Liang Wan that the only way to have a glimmer of hope was to jump into the water pool. He then shared with Yang Hao the method of finding an exit, informing him that a large rescue team was already above, and he had to go up immediately to report.

In this complex underground pipeline, the main route to all exits was quite clear, specifically through the temperature control valves located at the top of the pipes. The temperature in the pipes connected to the ventilation openings was significantly higher than in other pipes. The function of these control valves was to monitor the temperature of each section of the pipeline. When warm air filled the pipes and the temperature rose to a specific degree, the thermometer at the top would tip over and close the switch. Once a certain number of switches were closed, indicating that the temperature was too high, the ventilation openings would be notified and shut down.

This instrument was very simple yet highly practical. However, due to long-term neglect, most of the temperature control valves had broken down. When something crawled over the controllers, it would tip the thermometer, producing a sound similar to wooden clogs walking. Because the main system was used very frequently, after a power outage, the broken control valves connected to the ventilation openings were all in a closed state. Therefore, as long as they found a closed control valve, they could locate the exit.

This task was simple but quite time-consuming, and Yang Hao’s presence could give them a head start. Of course, it wasn’t just about this advantage; Wu Xie was clearly thinking about these issues and never wasted any of his pieces. Many arrangements waited for Hei Xiao to receive cues from Wu Xie before he truly understood, which was also a reason for his inexplicable confidence in this person. He didn’t believe that Wu Xie had overlooked anything in this matter.

For instance, starting with Yang Hao’s water-absorbing jacket, the time it took for the jacket to drip after absorbing water had to perfectly match the length of the pipes here. Wu Xie had perfectly thought of this, and for that, he needed to deliver a specific piece of clothing to Yang Hao without any flaws in advance. Wu Sanxing’s extensive investments outside the industry included several clothing brands, and the advertisements and discount coupons for this brand distributed in the newspapers near Yang Hao’s home, as well as the type of magazines his girlfriend liked to read, were all part of the plan. The search for models and new designs that matched Yang Hao’s appearance, along with the jacket he tore while playing soccer and his birthday date—all of these factors were interconnected, and this was only one of the considerations needed for this plan, representing one possibility in the deduction process.

Who could have known that the material of a piece of clothing could save them at least three hours of escape time? Unfortunately, uncontrollable circumstances arose—Li Cu’s C4 explosion. Otherwise, he would have faced his fate with great composure and energy, and he would have been in the best condition to confront the ensuing chaos.

Amidst the glowing ammonia and the assessment of the bloodstains, they stumbled upon a well opening. Not every well opening led to an exit, but this one had only bloodstains leading up, with none coming down.

Su Wan looked at the faint beams of light filtering down from above, resembling sunlight, and suddenly began to cry. He wiped his eyes and said, “I’m sure I can do very well in the college entrance examination. Because I crawled out of the grave to study. Even the heavens will be moved by me.”

Heixiazi glanced at the sky above. Every time at such moments, his dislike for sunlight would lessen. Su Wan wanted to climb the valley, but Heixiazi held him back: “It’s not time yet.”

“Aren’t we supposed to seize every moment?”

“Don’t I have no standing?” Heixiazi replied, “How many hours are left until the three days that Wu Xie mentioned?”

“Ten hours left means a full 72 hours.”

“Ten hours left, and those ten hours might be the hardest we’ve ever endured in our lives.”

“Harder than the previous two and a half days?” Su Wan’s face turned pale.

“During those two and a half days, most of my work was just standing there looking cool,” Heixiazi said. “In the next ten hours, both of us will have to roll and crawl for our lives.” As he spoke, both of them noticed that the shadow cast by the light above shifted slightly.

This was the shadow created by sunlight filtering through tiny gaps above. The change in the shadow could only mean one thing: someone was moving above, blocking the light.

Heixiazi made a quiet gesture for Su Wan to listen carefully, and Su Wan then heard voices coming from above.

And it wasn’t just one person; from the sounds, there was a lot of commotion above, making it impossible to discern the situation, but it seemed to be quite lively.

“The objectives from Beijing have also been achieved,” Heixiazi whispered. “I hope they are all still alive. Let’s go; we can’t get out for now, we need to find a place to hide.”

“Who are these people?” Su Wan said, a bit frantic. “I don’t care; I want to go out and surrender. I can’t stand being stuck down here any longer.”

“These people came for money. They think there are huge fortunes hidden here,” Heixiazi said. “From the sounds, it must be a dense crowd outside, completely sealed off.”

The family that Wu Xie spoke of, who believed they had the most important person of the century, was now surrounded by these completely deranged individuals inside an ancient tomb. This was likely a scene that the family could never have imagined in several generations.

Even though these people were referred to as “shepherds” by Wu Xie, their rationality and logic had already been stripped away by the prospect of immense wealth, much like a starving person snatching food from a lion. These people would not be swayed by any so-called fate. Nothing could calm them down enough to think rationally.

“Is the three-day period meant to give these people time to surround this place?” Su Wan asked in surprise.

“Right now, I can only see through the surface objectives,” Heixiazi replied, but he also began to anticipate what would happen next. He couldn’t see through the developments to come, but he knew Wu Xie must have already considered all the possibilities of what might happen next.

The interactions between Xie Yuchen and Liang Wan were so secretive and clever; if these people outside discovered this process, Liang Wan would become very suspicious.

Liang Wan, moving deeper into the ancient tomb, would be the focal point of their pursuit, and the floor plan of the dark room in Chang’an Town that Liang Wan did not take, along with everything Liang Wan would do afterward, should have already been exposed.

Wu Xie has destroyed the information gap among these people. Now the mad dogs outside have the floor plan of this place, have Yang Hao who knows the situation inside, and possess the desire to track down Liang Wan—this equates to having the desire to enter the most core part of the ancient tomb. This is the surface of what he sees.

The most obvious and central point is that Wu Xie has not given anyone a chance to catch their breath—neither his opponents nor his own people, not even himself.